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The thread "What's in Your Garden, March, April, May, June, July 2013" in Orchids forum

Lately I have been popping my "Pennsy-pics" into the garden thread, but these are simply pictures taken at our place in NE Pennsylvania, were nothing is cultivated. Here are some snapshots from this weekend.
The Helleborines along the road through our woods have now nicely fat seed pods on them and many of the Cyp acaule ( good looking leaves still on all stands) show now a seed pod as well. Promising!
Some Trilliums are also now showing a red berry/seed.
Mushrooms are popping up here and there and the Solidago starts blooming. There was a cute Hawkmoth flitting about the Bergamot.

Klaus checking up on German Soccer scores

Very nice

Thanks Ted. It is always nice to walk around in that place and have the camera ready.

It is beautiful, Ursula. No wonder you treasure it so.

Jim

Lovely pictures, Ursula. Is the yellow snapdragon a perennial up there? I planted something similar at my daughter's house and never saw it bloom. Very pretty!

My garden is completely overgrown, so I have to bushwhack my way around to get pictures. Going to work on it tomorrow with my garden helper (hope he shows up!).

Heliconia 'Lady Di' loves all the water it's been getting. Blooming and spreading like crazy around a big oak tree beside the driveway!


Clerodendron paniculatum with flower heads so big the plant is falling over. Pink salvia seeds itself everywhere. Love the delicate flowers on Cat's Whiskers


This is Coffee Cups colocasia, and collects water in the leaves like cups, then tips it out when they get full. It's fun to watch. The variegated costus makes nearly all-white leaves in this rainy, cloudy weather.


White spiral ginger leaves a nice red calyx after it finishes blooming. It's also putting up new stems and blooming again.

Very nice, Elaine and let me just continue with the Florida theme.

My Tibouchina is just exploding in purple flowers.


The hibiscus are happy:


With no frost for the last two winters and all of this rain, my skinny little mango tree has grown into a fat large mango tree. There is no way to protect it now.


Argentine pampas grass in bloom:


Pertty flower on this rose of sharon:


From the ginger bed:


The cherries jubilee allamanda has taken over the entrance to the rose garden.


Lots of orange bird-of-paradise flowers at the front of the house.


One little Hydrangea still blooming in the shade.


This Bougainvillea aborea has been blooming since early March.


All of the red firespike are blooming up a storm.


The Jatropha multifida or coral plant that I planted just a year ago is very happy.


I see some fungus spots on a pomegranate. I don't think it will bother the fruit inside but I'll have to research it.


Finally, lots of new growth coming from the stubs of my yellow tabebuia tree. If you remember, two hugh branches broke off while we were away on vacation. I just made clean cuts and hoped to see new growth.


Jim

Pretty! I sure love the Heliconias!

Regarding the Snapdragon - yes, it is one of the perennial wildflowers at our place, popping up here and there occasionally. I like them.
Linaria vulgaris or "Butter and Eggs".

Jim, I had this page open for a while, we overlapped.
I am glad the Tabebuia is rebounding! You have so many interesting and just gorgeous plants in bloom there! Beautiful Bird of Paradise. I love the Tibouchina!

Love seeing the Florida plants. Thanks guys!

Finally my variegated Brugmansia is ready to bloom this year! Lower leaves got a bit chewed up, that slowed down now. And the Daturas are filling in one of the front borders -

Lovely, Ursula. I've tried twice to grow a variegated brug and failed miserably. So Good Growing!!

My two big ones in the cage shading the orchids also have had chewing caterpillar issues, along with spider mites. I've been out at night with a flashlight all week picking off the little chewers. Finally got desperate and sprayed with Bt yesterday.

Don't forget to go out and smell the lovely perfume after dark!

Nice brugs, Ursula. You have a small piece of Florida up there.

Some time ago I filled an old birdbath with dirt and planted a cactus in it. I don't remember the name of it as it was just a tiny thing in a two inch pot. I was out there today and to my surprise, I found this huge flower on the end of one of the stocks. There are several more buds as well.


This is the male flower on a stock of bananas. The bananas are sweet and tasty.


The swamp hibiscus are in bloom.


Looking over at the Tibouchina.


The entrance to the rose garden is being eaten by the cherries jubilee allamanda.


Jim

That is The Most Magnificent Tibouchina I've ever seen, Jim. Cherries Jubilee is fantastic, too. Shows you what these plants will do when they get outrageous amounts of water,huh?

My Brazilian Red Cloak is in its glory again now. I think it has doubled in size this summer, despite battling with an oak tree and a big palm in that bed!


Hedychium 'Dr Moy' announces itself by the scent. Colocasia 'Lime Zinger' jumps out as a contrast in the shady border. I don't really like the color of it by itself, but in that dark corner it really shines.


I got some cuttings of red firespike this spring from a friend. Just stuck them in a pot of soil, and forgot them . . .. voila! I love gardening in Florida. A friend of mine calls this plant 'hummingbird heroin' and I must admit, I'm finally seeing hummingbirds on a regular basis since it's been blooming.

I'm loving those tropical gardens!
Jim, your cactus appears to be an Epiphyllum. Looks a lot like E. oxypetallum, but that's a night bloomer.

Me too!!
Jim, looking at the triangular growth, I would think I am looking at Hylocereus. The blooms on a Hylocereus are very similar to Epiphyllum blooms as Carol mentions. But they are a Cereus.
Could it be this one?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F...
This might be very delicious! YUM!!
Hylocereus is many times used as the stock plant in those grafted "Moon cactus" one can easily buy. ( which are usually Gymnocalycium mihanovichii and would not survive on their own, because due to the lack of Clorophyll they can't grow on their own roots. Sometimes the graft falls off and one might be stuck with a small piece as the one you mentioned)

I agree, Ursula. It could be a Dragon Fruit cactus. I have one and the only flower it has graced me with was quite similar to Jim's.

Mine is growing and rambling along the top of a corner of the fence, but very likely not getting enough sun to bloom or fruit. So much growth on the oak branches over it this year, with all the rain! What was sunny is now very shady.
Scraggly looking dragon fruit cactus on top of the fence, Musical notes plant, Rotheca incisa aka Clerodendron something or other.


I've been waiting and waiting for my funny 'corduroy' ginger to make a flower, and here they are! Must keep an eye out to see if they do anything besides these bright red shoots.

Those musical notes are curious! Neat!

They're pretty when they open up, too. But not quite as curious.

Ursula, I think you have it identified correctly but here are a few more pictures I took today. It will be interesting to see if I get any fruit.



Orange jasmine flowers have perfumed the entire backyard. The large bush is about 10 feet tall and 8 feet in diameter.


Jim

Perhaps you might want to help along with a small brush?
Beautiful blooms!

The Solidago was in full bloom this weekend at our Pennsy place, it definitely had that late Summer/ early Fall-feeling despite very nice and warm weather.

walking down towards our place

and the pond


and here is a whatizzit? What are these little brown round thingies? Any idea?